All I can say is WOW. This dip tastes amazing and is highly addictive. I’m not sure if I’m glad I have this in my house or not but I think it will be good to have others to share it with for sure.I really love jalapeño Poppers, especially the ones I’ve made wrapped in bacon with BBQ sauce[1]. But I will say making them is very labor intensive. I really wanted to have them for the big game but just didn’t want to stand there and stuff all of those peppers on game day.

So this Jalapeño Pepper Popper Dip was born. This recipe is made to be gluten free and dairy free and vegan. (my version is also soy free) There are of course are ton of ways to change up this recipe and make it with dairy or even add in bacon if you want meat.

I will give you the recipe as pictured here and then in the notes section I will give you all of the options that I can think of . Of course you’ll probably come up with many of your own depending on your ability to eat different ingredients and the taste you enjoy in your jalapeño poppers.

Since this is a dip with jalapeño peppers you also have the option of how hot or spicy you want the dip. You can alway get the flavor of the peppers and keep the heat level down and I’ll share some options around that too.

Another bonus about this recipe is you can make this dip to a certain point and then save it until you are ready to heat and serve.

This is an easy way to get that taste you love without all of the time and effort it takes to make individual Jalapeño Pepper Poppers. It also will have less fat if you are not deep frying the poppers. Two good points when living an easy, healthy, gluten free life.

1. Place the peppers on a foil lined pan sprinkled with olive oil. Roast the jalapeño peppers on 425 degrees F for 20 minuets. Immediately take them from the oven into a bowl and cover it tight with plastic wrap. Let them sit for 15 minutes.

Next carefully peel off the skin and then remove the stem and seeds. If you gently open the pepper and remove the stem by peeling it down through the pepper you’ll most likely take all of the seeds and membrane with it.

DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE or for that matter anything else on your body until you have gotten the oils from the peppers off your hands. Let me say you’re family will probably learn some new swear words from you. To wash the oils off you run your hands under cold water and then smack them together in a back and forth motion. The cold water will keep the oils in tact and you will knock them off. Or you can wear plastic gloves but still don’t assume you have not oils on you. Wash up just the same.

Next you’ll want to chop the peppers and set aside.

2. Mix together the cashew cream cheese and cilantro garlic until well combined. I did this in my Vitamix right after I made the cashew cream.

Scrape the cashew cream cheese into a bowl and mix in 8 teaspoons of chopped jalapeño peppers. This will give you a good jalapeño flavor and some heat. Use less for less heat. REMEMBER you can always add in more peppers so mix it up and give it a taste.

3. Now it’s time to assemble the dip. Place a little knob of the butter in the bottom of your serving dish. Sprinkle a layer of the breadcrumbs on the bottom.

Next carefully spoon in the jalapeño cashew cream cheese mixture.

At this point you can stop, wrap it up, finish the last steps when you are ready to serve the dish.

Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs so you have it covered and a thin layer. You don’t want it too thick or too thin. Just think about biting into a traditional jalapeño popper and how thick that typical crust.

Now dot the breadcrumbs with more butter. It doesn’t have to be a thick layer of butter but just enough that when it melts the breadcrumbs will crust.

4. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the top crusts. If you cook it too long the cashew cream cheese will thicken up like a ricotta cheese will. But don’t worry if it does this as it will not take away from the taste at all. I’m also guessing if you are finishing this dish off later and it’s been sitting in the refrigerator that it will crust on top before the cheese cooks too much.

When it’s done remove from the oven and serve immediately. A spoon will most likely work better than dipping a chip in there but a strong tortilla chip works well too.

OPTIONS:

You can use regular cream cheese or dairy free cream cheese made from soy. Also you can mix into the cream cheese some shredded cheddar cheese or Daiya.

For the jalapeño peppers you can use canned diced jalapeño peppers. You could probably use the pickled ones for a more mild flavor but it will change the taste entirely and would really try to stick to plain peppers. I’m sure that dried jalapeño peppers would work in this recipe too. Just mix them into the cream cheese but allow them time to soften and reconstitute.

You can also use dairy butter or any version of butter you eat in this recipe.

If you do not have the Majestic Cilantro Garlic you can use granulated garlic powder or take garlic cloves and make into a paste. Mix in some fresh chopped cilantro or dried. The amount you use will depend on the taste you want. Remember you can keep adding more so go slow, mix in what you think and give it a taste. I would start with 1/2 teaspoon of the granulated garlic and 1 teaspoon of the cilantro.

If you eat meat you can also add in some cooked chopped bacon. I would probably add it as a layer on top of the cream cheese and below the breadcrumb topping.

If you do not eat gluten free than use a regular panko. But if you eat gluten free make sure the panko style breadcrumbs are clearly marked. In addition to Glutino Gluten Free Breadcrumbs I’ve used Ian’s Gluten Free Panko Breadcrumbs.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, eat well and let’s hope it’s a good game. Although I can already tell you who wins, Coach Harbaugh!